Battalion Martial Arts York

In June 1942, the US War Department published FM 21-150, Unarmed Defense for the American Soldier, officially putting close-quarters combat doctrine into the hands of the entire American military.

Signed off by Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall, it covered everything from wrist escapes and choke hold defences to knife, sword, pistol and rifle defence.

What makes it worth remembering is the quote right at the front of the manual, laying out exactly why this training existed:

"The object of this training is to develop the soldier in the art of unarmed self-defense, and to improve his skill in the use of his basic weapons, through speeded reflexes. Confidence in his own ability unarmed, like confidence in his weapons, makes a man a better soldier."

The full manual is freely available to read on the Internet Archive if you want to go down a rabbit hole this weekend!

One of our Hull instructors faces down a German at the spirit of wartime Sherwood.

If you're based in Hull or York and interested in WW2 combatives get in contact for a free trial session.

This is August Landmesser. In 1936, surrounded by a crowd giving the N**i salute, he refused. He was protecting the woman he loved, who was Jewish. He paid a heavy price for it.

This shouldn't have to be said but as it's pride month and we have had a lot of new people follow the page I want to reiterate that we do not tolerate any form of bigotry or discrimination on our social media or in class.

You won't see many posts like this from us as this is a hobby not a political soapbox, but basic human decency shouldn't be political.

Everyone is welcome here. If you have any issue with that, you're free to leave.

Who doesn't like a bit of shovel fighting

Pistol disarms often receive a lot of objections in martial arts communities, and while many are valid, I think they mainly stem from a lack of understanding of context.

If you're interested, I'm going to try to break down some of the common criticisms, specifically within a WW2 context.

1. "It's not fast enough, you'll just get shot"

This is very common, and I think it's very wrong. It completely forgets the psychology of a holdup. If you're being held at gunpoint, there's a good chance the person doesn't want to shoot you, whether because they need you for interrogation, don't want to make noise, or have other reasons. That gives you a much greater likelihood of succeeding than people assume.

There are plenty of videos online showing people attempting disarms and getting shot with a water pistol or BB gun, but they all share the same major flaws: the participants (A) know an attempt is coming, and (B) there are no real consequences for the shooter pulling the trigger.

In reality, you might have been completely compliant for 10–15 minutes, walked exactly where they wanted, and then acted the moment they looked away or got distracted.

2. "They're standing too close, nobody is that stupid"

This isn't a completely wrong observation. Many demos do have participants standing stock still, which can be an unrealistic setup, though it's usually just a starting point for training before things get more dynamic.

But in a WW2 context, remember that many soldiers were conscripts with limited training, and even well-trained people get tired and make mistakes. There are plenty of photographs of American GIs marching prisoners with rifles pressed right into their backs.

On top of that, if you're alone and need to search or cuff someone, you have to get close. Even if the first guard does everything right, the second one might not, and SOE agents and Commandos were trained to watch for exactly those opportunities.

3. "The risk of being shot isn't worth the low chance of success"

This is probably more of a modern objection, and it's hard to argue with in isolation, but again, context is everything. If you're a soldier likely to be treated decently as a POW, maybe the attempt doesn't make sense.

On the other hand, if you're an SOE agent or French Resistance member and capture means torture and almost certain death, then even a low probability of success is worth the attempt.

If you've read all of this, thank you for humoring me! Let me know if you agree or disagree; I'd be happy to debate it in the comments.

Just had a great chat with the East Yorkshire Regiment Living History Group about bayonets, Fairbairn, and some interesting characters from the regiment.

A fantastic level of knowledge, and really friendly and welcoming. Special thanks to Michael for entertaining all my questions.

Definitely worth going to chat to them if you see them at an event.

Some of the techniques from the German manuals I posted earlier this week Merkblatt 25/3 and PDV. 42

There's a whole bayonet system in there which will be great to add to the American, British, French and Japanese systems we already look at.

We are running a free taster evening on the 16th of June if you fancy giving it a go!

Recently I've been very lucky to get my hands on some English translations of some German combatives manuals.

These are not easy to find in the UK so I am really grateful to German manuals for sending them over from America for me.

Pics of some of the techniques coming soon!